Visual sonic conduit locator

ABSTRACT

A visual sonic conduit locator includes a conduit size audio filter control, sensitivity control, and one or more visual indicators. The conduit size audio filter control is configured to optimize to the size of the conduit of interest. The sensitivity control is configured to detect a target sound and alter the amount of the target sound to that of a visual display level. The visual display level is represented by visual indicators. The visual indicators are configured to visually display a received audio level detected by the locator.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 17/879,158, filed Aug. 2, 2022, which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to sonic conduit tracer systems andvisual sonic conduit locators.

BACKGROUND

There are common use electronic wire tracing tools, known as “toners,”that allow specific wires or cables within a conduit to be easilyidentified. However, there exists no simple way or device to visuallyidentify a particular empty conduit from another empty conduit.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides a sonic conduit tracer system that fillsthis need by using sound waves that are sent through a conduit to easilyidentify the remote or distant end of a particular conduit from among aplethora of similar conduits or pipes in a given area. Such sound wavesmay be provided, by way of non-limiting examples, as audible tones or asaudible pulses.

While the sonic conduit tracer system may easily point to or identify aparticular conduit of interest at a particular location, there is stillthe logistical matter of first locating the general area, equipmentroom, or other termination location of the distant conduit end itself,regardless of whether the conduit is among a group of other conduits orby itself. Thus, the sonic conduit tracer system may also facilitatelocating the distant end of a specific conduit among a grouping of emptyor nearly empty conduits.

A sonic conduit tracer system for visually determining theidentification and location of a specific empty conduit is disclosedherein. The sonic conduit tracer system may utilize an audiotransmission to localize the identification and/or terminating end of aconduit from among a plethora of empty conduits or terminationlocations.

The sonic conduit tracer system may also be operated in a “conduitlength determining mode” so as to allow the sonic conduit tracer systemto automatically calculate the estimated total length of a conduit. Thesonic conduit tracer system may automatically calculate the estimatedlength of a conduit by transmitting audio pulses and then listening forand calculating the time delay until the transmitted pulses havereturned to the transmitting location. In this exemplary embodiment, themeasured propagation delay time for a specific interior diameterdimension is utilized to calculate an estimated conduit length.

The sonic conduit tracer system for determining the identification andlocation of an empty conduit by utilizing an audio transmission tolocalize the identification and/or terminating end of a conduit fromamong a plethora of empty conduits or termination locations may beconfigured to optimize or adjust the transmitted audio frequenciesand/or pulse rate(s) of the emitted audio transmissions according to theinterior dimensions of the conduit being used to locate its terminatingend. According to an embodiment, the sonic conduit tracer system mayautomatically sense or determine that a specific sized conduit adapterhas been fitted to the transmitting device, wherein the sonic conduittracer system may use this information to optimize the transmittedsignal.

According to another embodiment, a self-powered sonic conduit tracersystem may be configured to attach to a common in-use wire “snake” orotherwise known as a wire fishing tool. This freestanding sonic conduittracer system may be pushed into or guided through a conduit whileactively emitting one or more distinctive tone(s) and/or cadencepattern(s). With this embodiment, the sonic conduit tracer systememitting the identifying sound may be placed closer to the terminationend of a conduit.

A sonic conduit tracer system including a combination sonic transmitter,a sonic receiver and a spectrum analyzer is disclosed. The transmittermay be an audio transmitter configured to transmit an audio signal downan interior length of an empty conduit from a proximate end of aconduit. The receiver may be an audio receiver configured to receive anaudio return signal. The spectrum analyzer may be an audio spectrumanalyzer configured to analyze the returned audio signal and to therebyfacilitate the determination of a location of a distant end of theconduit.

According to some embodiments, the spectrum analyzer of the sonicconduit tracer may be configured to use the return signal to determinean estimated length of the conduit. For example, according to anembodiment, an audio spectrum analyzer may determine an estimated lengthof the conduit based on one or more audio differences such as particularaudio frequency attenuation between a transmitted audio signal and thereturned audio signal. According to another embodiment, the spectrumanalyzer may determine an estimated length of the conduit based on adelay between the time of a transmitted audio pulse and the time of areturned echo pulse, a time for a transmitted pulse to decay to apredetermined level, a change in harmonic characteristics, and/or anattenuation of a part of a total spectrum of the transmitted signal.

According to another aspect, the transmitter of the sonic conduit tracermay be configured to transmit a variety of different signals. Accordingto one embodiment, the transmitter may be configured to pulse an audiosignal at a constant pulse rate or at a varying pulse rate. According toanother embodiment, the transmitter may be configured to transmit anaudio signal at a single frequency. Alternatively, the transmitter maybe configured to transmit an audio signal with a multiple audiofrequency spread. According to another embodiment the transmitter may beconfigured to transmit a first audio signal having a first spectralbandwidth, a first pulse repetition rate and/or a first pulse frequencycharacteristic. Additionally, the transmitter may be configured totransmit a first audio signal having a first spectral bandwidth, a firstpulse repetition rate and/or a first pulse frequency characteristic, andmay further be configured to transmit a second audio signal having asecond spectral bandwidth, a second pulse repetition rate and/or asecond pulse frequency characteristic. According to even anotherembodiment, the transmitter may be configured to transmit sound waveswhich comprise white noise down the length of the conduit.

According to an aspect, the sonic conduit tracer may be configured toautomatically determine an interior diameter of the conduit. Accordingto one embodiment, the conduit tracer may be configured to transmit afirst audio signal when the conduit has a first interior diameter and totransmit a second audio signal when the conduit has a second interiordiameter.

According to even another embodiment, the sonic conduit tracer may beconfigured to be at least partially inserted into the proximate end ofthe conduit. Optionally, the sonic conduit tracer system may beconfigured to be fully inserted into the conduit to allow it to traveldown the interior of the conduit.

According to some embodiments, a method of tracing a conduit includestransmitting a sonic signal down an interior length of an empty conduitfrom a proximate end of the conduit, receiving a sonic return signal atthe proximate end of the conduit, and analyzing the sonic return signalto determine an estimated length of the conduit. The sonic signal may bea continuous audio signal and/or a pulsed audio signal. According tosome embodiments, the step of analyzing may include determining theestimated length of the conduit based on one or more differences betweenthe transmitted signal and the return signal. For example, the step ofanalyzing may include determining the estimated length of the conduitbased on a delay between the time of a transmitted pulse and the time ofa return echo pulse, a time for a transmitted pulse to decay to apredetermined level, a change in harmonic characteristics, and/or anattenuation of a part of a total spectrum of the audio transmittedsignal.

According to other embodiments, the step of transmitting may includetransmitting a signal having a pulsed signal, transmitting a signalhaving a single audio frequency, transmitting a signal having a multipleaudio frequency spread, transmitting a signal having a first spectralbandwidth, transmitting a signal having a first pulse repetition rateand/or transmitting a signal having a first pulse frequencycharacteristic. According to another embodiment, the step oftransmitting may include transmitting a first signal having a firstspectral bandwidth, a first pulse repetition rate and/or a first pulsefrequency characteristic, and then transmitting a second signal having asecond spectral bandwidth, a second pulse repetition rate and/or asecond pulse frequency characteristic. According to even anotherembodiment, the step of transmitting may include transmitting soundwaves which are “white noise” down the length of the conduit.

According to another aspect, the method of tracing a conduit may furtherinclude the audio transmitter automatically determining an interiordiameter of the conduit and selecting an optimized audio frequency basedon the detected conduit size. Another aspect the method of determiningthe transmitted audio operating frequency(s) may be manually selectedbased upon a manual conduit diameter size determination. Further, thestep of transmitting may include transmitting a first signal when theconduit has a first interior diameter and transmitting a second signal,different from the first signal, when the conduit has a second interiordiameter.

According to a final aspect, a sonic conduit tracer may include an audiotransmitter configured to transmit an audio signal down an interiorlength of an empty conduit, wherein the audio transmitter is configuredto fit inside the empty electrical conduit and is further configured tobe attached to an end of a flexible transmitter positioning feedingmechanism.

In situations where it is difficult to determine which conduit amongst aplurality of empty conduits is emitting sounds from an active sonicconduit tracer system, a solution is needed. The present disclosureprovides a visual sonic conduit locator configured to be used remotelyfrom, but in conjunction with, the sonic conduit tracing system, and assuch is arranged to be located at the opposite end of a conduit that isbeing fed audio from the sonic conduit tracing system. While a sonicconduit tracing system is useful by manually listening for soundsgenerated at an opposite end of a conduit, in a situation where manyconduits terminate near one another, a visual sonic conduit locator maybe used to assist the location of a target conduit that is being fed bysonic conduit tracing system.

According to one aspect, a visual sonic conduit locator is configured tobe a hand-held device that provides an operator with the ability tovisually discern changes in an audio level to a finer degree than ispossible with an unaided person seeking to locate a target conduit isemitting a sound.

While the human ear is able to quickly generalize the location of asound within an area (e.g., ±5 feet), the task of determining a targetconduit presenting a sound amongst a plurality of conduits can be acumbersome and time-consuming process, especially in an area of highambient noise such as a construction site.

A visual sonic conduit locator is configured to detect and/or seek for aspecific audio frequency, cadence pattern, or other distinctiveproperties, thus it can better determine a particular target sound fromamongst a muddle of sounds than a human ear.

The present disclosure provides a visual sonic conduit locator thatdetermines which conduit is emitting the sound. The visual sonic conduitlocator for determining the location of an empty conduit may beconfigured to a target conduit size. According to some embodiments, avisual sonic conduit locator is configured to automatically determinewhat the size of the target conduit based on the deteriorating effectsof the target conduit on the target sound.

In some embodiments, a visual sonic conduit locator include a body, amicrophone connected to the body, one or more visual indicatorsconnected to the body, a processor operatively connected to the one ormore visual indicators and configured to cause the one or more visualindicators to display a magnitude of sound level relative within avariably adjustable full-scale range based on a sound signal detected bythe microphone, and a sensitivity control configured to cause theprocessor to adjust the full-scale range thereby setting the processorto more sensitively or less sensitively cause the one or more visualindicators to display the magnitude of sound level based on the soundsignal detected by the microphone.

According to some embodiments, a method of operating a visual sonicconduit locator includes moving a visual sonic conduit locator in anarea where a sound signal is provided from a sonic conduit tracer systemthrough a target conduit among a plurality of conduits, detecting thesound signal with a microphone of the visual sonic conduit locator,displaying a magnitude of sound level of the detected sound signal withone or more visual indicators of the visual sonic conduit locator, andadjusting a sensitivity control to cause a processor of the visual sonicconduit locator to adjust a full-scale range.

According to some embodiments, a visual sonic conduit locator includes abody, a microphone connected to the body, a display connected to thebody and configured to display a magnitude of sound level based on asound signal detected by the microphone, and a sensitivity controlconfigured to adjust a range the magnitude of sound level is displayedwithin through the display.

A visual sonic conduit locator including a combination conduit sizeaudio filter control, a sensitivity control, and visual indicators isdisclosed. The conduit size audio filter control is configured to setthe size of the conduit of interest. The sensitivity control isconfigured to alter the amount of the target sound to that of a visualdisplay level. The visual display level is represented by visualindicators. The visual indicators are configured to visually display areceived audio level detected by the sensitivity control.

According to one aspect, the visual sonic conduit locator is an audiospectrum analyzer preconfigured for a particular conduit size. After thegiven conduit size (e.g., conduit inner diameter) is configured by theconduit size audio filter control, the visual sonic conduit locator isconfigured to look for specific audio frequencies, cadence patterns, orother distinctive sound properties. Through this configuration, thelocator finds the target sound produced by the sonic conduit tracersystem through the target conduit.

According to some embodiments, the operator of the visual sonic conduitlocator adjusts the sensitivity control which alters the amount of thetarget sound to that of a visual display level. As the operator getscloser to the target conduit, the visual display level becomes morepronounced in that more visual indicators activate and/or a differenttype of indication is provided.

According to some embodiments, a method of using a visual sonic conduitlocator includes configuring a conduit size audio control to selectivelysearch for a target sound, adjusting the sensitivity control to alterthe target sound into a visual display, and lowering the sensitivitycontrol until the target sound and target conduit is located. Accordingto some embodiments, the step of configuring a conduit size audiocontrol may include determining the conduit size and the specific audiofrequency, cadence pattern, or other distinctive sound property. Thestep of configuring may also include identifying deteriorating effectson the target sound.

According to some embodiments, the step of adjusting the sensitivitycontrol to alter the target sound into a visual display includesdetermining whether the visual sonic conduit locator is physicallyapproaching the target sound.

According to some embodiments, the step of lowering the sensitivitycontrol until the target sound and target conduit is located includesdetermining, utilizing the visual indicators, the amount of headroom toleave available.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 schematically shows a sonic conduit tracer system in accordancewith embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 schematically shows a side view of the sonic conduit tracersystem of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 3 schematically shows an end-on view of the sonic conduit tracersystem of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 4 schematically shows a physically introducible sonic conduittracer system according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing a method of operating a sonic conduittracer system in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 schematically shows a visual sonic conduit locator in accordancewith embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 schematically shows an end view of the visual sonic conduitlocator of FIG. 6 .

FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing a method of operating a visual sonicconduit locator in accordance with embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 9 schematically shows a visual sonic conduit locator in accordancewith embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A sonic conduit tracer system for determining the length of a conduit ofan empty conduit, for locating the terminating (or distant) end of theconduit from among a plethora of possible termination locations and/orfor identifying the terminating end of a specific conduit from among aplethora of other conduits is herein disclosed. The sonic conduit tracersystem utilizes one or more sonic transmissions traveling within theconduit. A “sonic signal,” as used herein, means a sound wave having anyor multiple simultaneous frequencies. An “audio signal,” as used herein,means a sound wave having frequencies in the range of human hearing,e.g., typically frequencies in the range of 20 to 20,000 hz.

Referring to FIG. 1 , a sonic conduit tracer system 100 is shown inaccordance with the present disclosure. The system 100 includes a sonictransmitter 300, a sonic receiver 301 and a sonic spectrum analyzer 302.The sonic transmitter 300 is configured to transmit a sonic signal, thesonic receiver 301 is configured to receive a sonic signal, and thesonic spectrum analyzer 302 is configured to analyze a received sonicsignal. The transmitter, receiver and/or the spectrum analyzer may beco-located within a sonic conduit tracer device body 101.

According to one aspect, the sonic transmitter 300 is an audiotransmitter, the sonic receiver 301 is an audio receiver, and the sonicspectrum analyzer 302 is an audio spectrum analyzer. The audiotransmitter 300 may be specifically configured to transmit an audiosignal into and down an interior length of a conduit. Further, the audiotransmitter 300 may be configured to transmit a wide variety of audiosignals. For example, the audio transmitter 300 may be configured topulse the audio transmitted signal, to transmit the audio signal at asingle frequency, to transmit the audio signal with a multiple frequencyspread, to transmit the audio signal in a sequentially varying singlefrequency manner, etc. Thus, the audio transmitter 300 may be configuredto transmit an audio signal having a defined spectral bandwidth, adefined pulse repetition rate and/or a defined pulse audio frequencycharacteristic. Optionally, the audio transmitter 300 may be configuredto transmit a plurality of audio signals for example, the audiotransmitter 300 may be configured to transmit a first audio signalhaving a first defined spectral bandwidth, a first defined pulserepetition rate and/or a first defined pulse frequency characteristic,and the audio transmitter 300 may be configured to transmit a seconddefined audio transmitted signal having a second defined spectralbandwidth, a second defined pulse repetition rate and/or a seconddefined pulse frequency characteristic. The audio transmitter 300 may,in certain instances, be configured to combine one or more audiofrequency signals. Additionally, the audio transmitter 300 may beconfigured to modulate a transmitted signal, e.g., sweeping through afrequency spectrum, increasing or decreasing amplitude, changing a pulsecharacteristic, etc. as would be known by persons of skill in the artgiven the benefit of this disclosure.

The audio receiver 301 may be specifically configured to receive anaudio return signal from an interior length of the conduit. A “returnsignal,” as used herein, means a sound wave that originated as thetransmitted signal from an initial location (typically the proximate endof a conduit), which has subsequently reflected off of or otherwiseinteracted with one or more surfaces such that the spectralcharacteristic of the original transmitted signal has changed or becomesdistorted. For example, the return signal may have different orinconsistent audio frequency characteristics throughout the frequencyspectrum, different pulse rates such as caused by the addition ofechoes, and/or one or more audio frequencies having been attenuatedrelative to the original transmitted signal. Moreover, the return audiosignal may include multiple, possibly overlapping and/or time-shifted,distorted versions (e.g., echoes) of the original transmitted signal.

The audio spectrum analyzer 302 may be specifically configured toanalyze the audio return signal to facilitate the determination of alocation of a distant end of the conduit. According to one embodiment,the audio spectrum analyzer 302 may be specifically configured toanalyze differences between the audio transmitted signal and the audioreturn signal to facilitate the determination of a location of a distantend of the conduit. The audio spectrum analyzer 302 may determine atime-delay between the time of a transmitted pulse and the time of areturn echo pulse, a time for a transmitted pulse to decay to apredetermined level, a change in harmonic characteristics, and/or anattenuation of a part of a total spectrum of the audio transmittedsignal.

According to one aspect, the sonic conduit tracer system 100 may beconfigured to determine an estimated length of the conduit based on theanalysis of the return signal by the audio spectrum analyzer 302. Theestimated length to the conduit may further be determined by thespectrum analyzer 302 based on differences between the transmitted audiosignal and the audio return signal, based on varying transmitted audiofrequencies and the subsequent differences in effect between variousaudio frequencies such as the time delay between the time of atransmitted pulse and the time of a return echo pulse, based on a timefor a transmitted pulse to decay to a predetermined level, based on achange in harmonic characteristics, and/or based on an attenuation of apart of a total spectrum of the transmitted audio signal.

As an example, an estimate length of a conduit may be determined byutilizing established formulas such as Speed=Distance/Time. Since it iswell established that sound travels at approximately 340 meters persecond at sea level (at standard temperature and pressure), by alreadyknowing the speed is approximately 340 m/s and the time for an echo(divided by ½ to compensate for the return distance), we can easilysolve for the distance figure. It should be noted that a distal end of aconduit may be capped or uncapped. If said end is indeed capped, thenthe receiver will detect a strong echo. If the far end, however, isuncapped then the spectrum analyzer will detect a distortion as thesound wave exits the end of the conduit and the elapsed time to thischange will be used as the time figure. The system can differentiatewhether the remote end is capped by the lack of a distinct echo and/or amuch higher general attenuation. In the event the system determines thatthe conduit under test is NOT capped, then the detected time figure willNOT be halved as would be the case with a capped conduit.

Different sized conduits have inherently different deteriorating effectson various audio frequencies and their measurement result inattenuation, distortion, etc. so it is important to optimize the audiofrequencies used by the audio transmitter depending upon the interiorsize of a conduit. Thus, the size of the conduit inside diameter may beprovided as an input to the sonic conduit tracer system 100 whendetermining the estimated length of the conduit. According to oneembodiment, the sonic conduit tracer may automatically optimize, adjust,and/or calibrate its circuitry for the specific conduit size beingtraced. Such size-related transmitted audio characteristics may includeaudio spectral bandwidths, pulse repetition rates, pulse audiofrequency(s), etc. A single transmitted frequency may be used, or amultiple frequency spread may be used to determine an estimated conduitlength by analyzing the return effects of the various frequencies.

Thus, according to certain aspects, as an initial step, a sonic conduittracer system 100 may be configured to determine the size of the conduitof interest. According to one embodiment and referring to FIGS. 1-3 ,the sonic conduit tracer system 100 may include one or more adapters106A, 106B, 106C (collectively 106). The one or more adapters 106 mayprovide a range of sizes configured to fit (e.g., slip fit, detent fit,snap fit, press fit, etc.) into the ends of conduits having standardinside diameters (1-inch/2-inch/3-inch, etc.). Thus, an adapter sized tofit into one or more correspondingly-sized conduits may be attached(via, e.g., slip fit, detent fit, snap fit, press fit, etc.) to an end108 or an output port of the sonic conduit tracer device body 101. Forexample, the sonic conduit tracer device body may be provided with anindex key protrusion 109 configured to engage with recess 110 of anadapter.

According to one embodiment, the sonic conduit tracer system 100 may beequipped with a manual conduit size selector knob 103 or switch on thesonic conduit tracer device's body 101. This selector knob 103, uponbeing manually set by a user, would inform the sonic conduit tracersystem which adapter size 106A, 106B, etc. was fitted to sonic conduittracer device's body 101 and therefore which transmitted audiocharacteristics that are appropriate for a given conduit size to select.

Other embodiments may allow for an automatic conduit adapter size 106determination. For example, a conductive strip 107A, 107B, 107C, etc.(collectively, 107) may be attached to the inside edge of each adapter106. For each of the variously sized adapters, the location of eachconductive strip 107A, 107B, etc., may be in a different offset locationrelative to the index key 109 and adapter indentation 110. As shown inFIG. 1 and also FIG. 3 , the body 101 of the sonic conduit tracer devicemay be correspondingly provided with a plurality of different sets ofsizing contacts 105A, 105B, 105C, etc. (collectively, 105). For anygiven size of adapter, the conductive strip 107 would align with andcontact the appropriate sizing contacts on the device body 101. In thismanner, each different conduit size adapter 106A, 106B, etc. wouldautomatically inform the sonic conduit tracer system of which conduitsize was being traced by electrically bridging only one pair of sizingcontacts 105A, 105B, etc.

As FIG. 1 illustrates, when the sonic conduit tracer body index key 109mates with adapter recess 110, for example, with 2-inch conduit sizeadapter 106A, the conductive strip 107A for that adapter 106A wouldmatch up with, for example, contacts 105A on the device body. Closingthis specific electrical circuit would thus automatically indicate tothe sonic conduit tracer system 100 that it has been fitted with a2-inch adapter. Switch 104 may be provided to inform the sonic conduittracer system whether to use a manual or automatic conduit sizedetermination method.

Operationally, at least a portion of the sonic conduit tracer system 100(e.g., adapter 106 attached to body 101) may be configured to beinserted in a proximate end of the conduit being traced. Referring toFIG. 1 , a power switch 102 may be provided to enable the sonic conduittracer system 100. Referring to FIG. 2 , a function switch 202 may beprovided to select the particular operational mode of the sonic conduittracer system 100. For example, when in “Length” mode 203, the sonicconduit tracer system 100 may send out a series of sonic pulses via aloudspeaker or a transducer of the transmitter 300 (see FIG. 3 ).Subsequently, a microphone of the receiver 301 may “listen” for returnedsonic signal characteristics, such as the echo timing between the timeof transmission pulses and the time of pulse echo return, the length ofa “trailing tail” (length of a pulse's decay time), and/or other changedharmonic characteristics such as the attenuation of a part of a totalsonic spectrum, or other sonic characteristic modifications. In apreferred embodiment, the transmitted signals are audio signals in thefrequency range that a human is capable of hearing (as opposed toultrasonic signals). There are several reasons for not utilizingultrasonic frequencies. First, the conduit tracing system as disclosedwould have the capability of tracing conduits that may be, for instance,over 100 feet in length, a distance which is well beyond the relativelyshort measurement range of ultrasonic sensor based measurement systems.Secondarily, the disclosed system provides an audible signal with whicha person can readily determine from which conduit a sound is emanatingfrom. During periods of transmission by transmitter 300, the microphoneof the receiver 301 may be momentarily muted, and after the timeinterval when the transmission of a sound ceases, the microphone of thereceiver 301 may be unmuted to receive and time the return echo(es).

The transmitted and received sonic (e.g., audio) characteristics may becompared through various methods in common use such as by an audiospectrum analyzer 302 that may be built into the sonic conduit tracersystem device body 101 (see FIGS. 1-3 ). For example, the spectrumanalyzer 302 may determine the total trip (back and forth) timinginterval (and therefore the distance using the known approximately 340meters per second at sea level (at standard temperature and pressure) ofa returned audio pulse delta (via echolocation), the timing of an audiocharacteristic degradation, etc. to determine a rough conduit lengthcalculation for the conduit of interest. The estimated length 201 of theconduit may be displayed on readout 200 (see FIG. 2 ).

According to one embodiment, once the estimated length 201 of a conduithas been determined, the resultant estimated conduit length 201 may beutilized as a tool to limit the search distance or a search radius fromthe proximate end of a conduit, thus the estimated conduit length 201may be determined and displayed and a search for conduit terminationsthat are located within that search distance from the proximate locationmay be conducted. In other words, a search from the starting point ofthe conduit in an arc commensurate with the estimated conduit length 201may be conducted to find the appropriate equipment rooms, cabinets, etc.in which the distant end or termination of the conduit may be found.

According to one embodiment, the sonic conduit tracer system 100 may beswitched between an audible presence or “trace” mode 204 or a “lengthdetermining” mode 203 by the switch 202 (see FIG. 2 ). Operationally,the search mode 204 may utilize a combination of sonic/audio frequencies(or alternating audio frequencies), pulse repetition rates, and audiocadences that are designed to be quite distinctive and different fromsounds usually experienced in daily life. Sounds such as “white noise,”may be utilized in either “length” 203 mode or “trace” mode 204. Theaudio frequency and/or characteristic selection may also beautomatically selected based on the particular conduit size and/ordetermined estimated conduit length in order to maximize the perceivedaudio level at the opposite or distant end of the conduit.

As different diameter conduits have different resonant lengths andsubsequent effects on audio characteristics, a further embodiment of thesonic conduit tracer system 100 may feature an adjustable spectral rangeand pulse repetition rate to optimize its use relative to a particularconduit size, similar to how organ pipes are tuned to allow a pipe to“speak” (resonate) properly. As the sonic conduit tracer 100 always hasaccess to one end of a conduit, the conduit size may be readilydetermined, as disclosed above, and the appropriate transmitted sonicadjustment(s) setting made automatically or manually.

Once the search radius arc is known, then a person only needs to visitthose locations within and covered by the search arc and listen for thedistinctive transmitted sound(s). If a particular location is silent(yet the system determined that the distal end was open), then thesearch person may immediately go on to the next location rather thanwasting time at that location by further checking conduits to identify aparticular conduit at that location that does not present a distinctive,tell-tale sound. Furthermore, often conduits may start at a commonstarting point but terminate, for instance, on different floors of abuilding. By knowing the approximate or estimated length of a conduit,if all of the matching arc search locations on a floor have beensearched without any sound present, then at that point by subtractingthe floor-to-floor measurement from the total estimated conduit length,then a new smaller arc may be determined and searched in the same manneras before on the adjacent floor(s). This length subtraction process maybe subsequently repeated until the distant end of the conduit is found.

It is expected that a sonic conduit tracer will be especiallyadvantageous and provide for labor-savings in several ways: first, asonic conduit tracer and location process may be optionally accomplishedby only a single person, as compared to the traditional two-personrequirement (although more than one person would certainly speed up thesonic conduit tracer process as well). Second, it will make the job of aconduit localization within an identified area much easier to accomplishas the need to further search entire sections of a room, area, etc. canbe immediately dismissed.

According to another aspect, as shown in FIG. 4 , a sonic conduit tracersystem 400 may be provided. System 400 may be sized to loosely “slipfit” appropriately sized units 400 inside an empty electrical conduit orpipe. Further, the system 400 may be configured to be attached to aflexible conduit feeder 401, for example, a common wire conduit “snake”tool. The snake tool 401 may be used to push the appropriately-sizedsonic conduit tracer system 400 through a conduit 404 so as to allowplacement of the sonic conduit tracer system 400 closer to a distant ortermination end of the conduit. Inside the conduit, the sonic conduittracer system 400 may actively transmit or emit a distinctive tone 402.According to certain embodiments, system 400 may include only the sonictransmitter sized to fit inside a conduit. System 400 would beespecially suited for use with a vertical conduit wherein gravity wouldassist the conduit feeding process.

According to certain aspects, a method of tracing a conduit includestransmitting a sonic signal down an interior length of an empty conduitfrom a proximate end of the conduit, receiving a sonic return signal atthe proximate end of the conduit, and analyzing the sonic return signalto determine an estimated length of the conduit. The sonic signal may bean audio frequency signal and/or a near-audio frequency signal.According to some embodiments, the step of analyzing may includedetermining the estimated length of the conduit based on one or moredifferences between the transmitted signal and the return signal. Forexample, the step of analyzing may include determining the estimatedlength of the conduit based on a delay between the time of a transmittedpulse and the time of a return echo pulse, a time for a transmittedpulse to decay to a predetermined level, a change in harmoniccharacteristics, and/or an attenuation of a part of a total spectrum ofthe audio transmitted signal.

According to other embodiments, the step of transmitting a signal mayinclude transmitting an audio signal having a pulsed signal,transmitting a continuous audio signal having a single frequency,transmitting a continuous audio signal having a multiple frequencyspread, transmitting an audio signal having a first spectral bandwidth,transmitting an audio signal having a first pulse repetition rate and/ortransmitting a signal having a first pulse frequency characteristic.According to another embodiment, the step of transmitting may includetransmitting a first signal having a first spectral bandwidth, a firstpulse repetition rate and/or a first pulse frequency characteristic, andthen transmitting a second signal having a second spectral bandwidth, asecond pulse repetition rate and/or a second pulse frequencycharacteristic. According to even another embodiment, the step oftransmitting may include transmitting sound audio “white noise” down thelength of the conduit. Since “white noise” encompasses a broad audiofrequency range at a uniform intensity e.g. all frequencies at the sameintensity, it is particularly well suited to determining specificfrequency audio attenuation relative to conduit length.

According to another aspect, the method of tracing a conduit may furtherinclude automatically determining an interior diameter of the conduit.Further, the step of transmitting may include transmitting a firstsignal when the conduit has a first interior diameter and transmitting asecond signal, different from the first signal, when the conduit has asecond interior diameter.

Referring to FIG. 5 , a flow chart showing an exemplary method of usingthe sonic conduit tracer system 100 is shown. In step 501, the sonicconduit tracer system 100 is associated with a conduit, for example, byinserting an adapter 106 into the proximate end of an empty conduit. Instep 501, the sonic conduit tracer system 100 is enabled via switch 102.In step 502, the mode of the sonic conduit tracer system 100 isselected. The mode may be selected via switch 202 as either “trace” or“length.”

If the “length” mode is selected, the sonic conduit tracer system 100proceeds to step 503. In steps 505 and 506, the size of the conduit isdetermined (either by a user or automatically as disclosed above). Instep 504, the switch 104 is used to select whether the size of theconduit is to be determined manually in step 506 or automatically instep 505. Once the size of the conduit is determined, the transmitter300 may emit an audio signal, the receiver 301 may receive the audioreturn signal, and the spectrum analyzer 302 may determine an estimatedlength 201 of the conduit in step 507 or step 508.

After the length of the conduit has been determined, the mode of thesonic conduit tracer system 100 may be switched to a “trace” or “locate”mode in step 502 (via switch 202). In step 510, the transmitter 300 maytransmit a signal that is distinct from any background noise tofacilitate a user locating the distance end of the conduit by auralmeans.

A visual sonic conduit locator for determining which conduit amongst aplurality of empty conduits within a general area is emitting soundsfrom an active sonic conduit tracer system 100 is herein disclosed. Asonic conduit tracer system 100 is limited in situations where aplurality of conduits terminate near one another. In these situations, avisual sonic conduit locator is useful in determining the location of atarget conduit being fed with a signal(s) from a sonic conduit tracersystem 100.

Referring to FIG. 6 , a visual sonic conduit locator 10 is shown inaccordance with the present disclosure. The locator 10 includes a bodyhaving a proximal end 11 and a distal end 12, a conduit size audiofilter control 13, a sensitivity control 14, and visual indicators15A-15E. The conduit size audio filter control 13 is configured to set aprocessor(s) (not shown in FIG. 6 , but shown in FIG. 9 ) of the locatorto seek a signal(s) for a particular size of the target conduit. Whenthe size of the target conduit is set, the conduit size audio filtercontrol 13 can filter, selectively look for and identify characteristicsounds from a sonic conduit tracer system 100 (e.g., FIG. 1 ). In someembodiments, as shown in FIG. 6 , the conduit size audio filter control13 is a selector switch, however, other control selection mechanisms arewithin the scope of the present disclosure. The sensitivity control 14is configured to be adjusted in order to have the locator 10 detect atarget sound and alter the amount of the target sound that is indicatedat a visual display level. The visual display level is represented byvisual indicators 15A-15E. The visual indicators 15A-15E are configuredto visually display a received audio level detected by the locator 10 asadjusted by the sensitivity control 14. In some embodiments, the locator10 is a hand-held device.

In some embodiments, the visual sonic conduit locator 10 is enabled byan on-off switch. The on-off switch may be a momentary type or a fixedposition type.

In some embodiments, a handle is connected at or near the proximal end11 of the body. The handle can be permanently connected or a detachablyconnected part of the locator 10.

According to some embodiments, the visual sonic conduit locator 10 hasan audio spectrum analyzer set to optimize for a specific target conduitsize. After the target conduit size is configured by the conduit sizeaudio filter control 13, the visual sonic conduit locator 10 isconfigured to detect or seek for specific audio frequencies, cadencepatterns, or other distinctive sound properties. Through thisconfiguration, the locator 10 detects the target sound produced by thesonic conduit tracer system 100 via the target conduit. As disclosedabove, different size conduits (e.g. differing conduit inner diameters)have inherently different deteriorating effects on various audiofrequencies, so it is important to configure the conduit size audiofilter control 13 to the target conduit size to accommodate for theseeffects. In some embodiments, the conduit size audio filter control 13is configured to automatically determine the diameter of the targetconduit based on the target signal. Since differently sized conduitshave different deteriorating effects on audio frequencies, the conduitsize audio filter control 13 is configured to automatically determinethe size of the target conduit by recognizing the presence of one ormore of these effects. In some embodiments, the conduit size audiofilter control 13 is configured to be manually adjusted by the operatoror user for setting the size of the target conduit from which a receivedsignal is to be detected from.

It is expected that a visual sonic conduit locator 10 will beadvantageous in several ways. First, it will be able to visually discernchanges in an audio level to a finer degree than is possible with anunaided person looking for a target sound and target conduit by ear.Second, while the human ear can quickly generalize the location of asound within a small area, the task of determining which specificconduit is the target conduit generating the target sound amongst aplurality of conduits is a cumbersome and time-consuming process. Thisis especially true in an area of high ambient noise, such as aconstruction site. Third, the locator 10 provides an intuitive,all-in-one user interface that helps the operator achieve the goal offinding the target conduit quickly and reliably. The locator 10 does notrequire additional sensors to aid in finding the target conduit. Fourth,the locator 10 allows a hearing-impaired person to be able to locate thedistal end of a conduit.

According to some embodiments, the visual sonic conduit locator 10 isconfigured to permit an operator or user to adjust the sensitivitycontrol 14 which alters the amount of the target sound to that of avisual display level. The visual display level is represented by thevisual indicators 15A-15E. As the operator gets closer to the targetconduit, the visual display level becomes more pronounced in that morevisual indicators 15A-15E activate and/or a different type of indicationis provided (e.g., the color intensity of an indicator, a shape ormessage on a display).

According to another aspect, the sensitivity control 14 is configured todetect the target sound using linearly arranged visual indicators15A-15E. The visual indicators 15A-15E are configured to correspondinglyactivate as the target sound increases in volume. For example, if thetarget sound is far away from the locator 10, only a first visualindicator 15A may be illuminated. As the locator 10 approaches thetarget sound, a processor of the locator is configured to cause one ormore additional visual indicators 15B-E to individually activate as themagnitude of the target sound detected increases. Once all visualindicators 15A-15E are illuminated the sensitivity control 14 may belowered by the user to set the processor sensitivity from detectedsignals at the microphone(s), which causes the processor to deactivatesome or all visual indicators 15A-15E to narrow down the location of thetarget conduit emitting the target sound for the user. This process isreiterated until the target conduit is located by the user with theguiding functionality of the locator.

In some embodiments, as seen in FIG. 6 , a linearly arranged column ofLED or other light fixtures are the visual indicators 15A-15E.Operationally, the sensitivity control 14 is initially set to itsmaximum sensitivity setting so as to more easily provide an initialindication/detection of sound(s) emanating within a particular area.Once an initial sound(s) detection is made, the sensitivity control 14is typically adjusted to a lower sensitivity setting in order to betterallow strength differentiation to occur. As the purpose of the device isto visually ‘zero-in’ on a specific conduit, the goal is to allow anoperator be able to see a rise of fall of the visual indicator(s) whichallows the effect of three-dimensional movement to vary the results ofthe visual display, thus serving as a visual guide to the desiredconduit.

An optimum sensitivity setting is one that allows a user to be able tovisually see a rise or fall in either direction, without falling below avisual detection threshold, or rising past a device's maximum displaycapability, which would then prevent further directional guidance.Sensitivity control 14 is typically adjusted in this fashion to providean initial less than full-scale reading on the column of LED or othervisual indicators 15A-15E. As directional movement toward the ‘target’conduit proceeds, the device is getting closer and closer to its targetwith a corresponding increase in displayed value, so typically thesensitivity control 14 may manually be readjusted by the operator in thedirection of less sensitivity until the conduit is actually located. Afull-scale reading is the maximum amplitude a system can represent forany sensitivity level. As the visual indicators 15A-15E are illuminated,the sensitivity control 14 is adjusted by the operator to keep a levelof ‘headroom’ available until the target conduit is located. Headroom inthis instance should be understood to mean the difference between aninstant reading value and the highest or lowest level reading that canbe displayed on an indicator or meter of a device. By configuring theheadroom with the sensitivity control 14, the operator can ensure thatfurther up or down display levels are able to be discerned. In someembodiments, the visual display level comprises a lighting indicatorthat increases in brightness and/or changes color as the operator getscloser or farther from the target sound.

In some embodiments, the visual display level comprises a digitalnumerical scale having an identified numerical value range. The digitalnumerical value increases as the operator gets closer to the targetsound. The sensitivity control 14 is configured to cause a processor ofthe locator 10 to increase or decrease the numerical value of the scaleto help locate the target sound. For example, the identified numericalvalue range can be configured to range from 0 to 100. As the locator 10gets closer to the target sound, the value in the scale increases. Asthe locator 10 approaches 100, the operator should lower the sensitivitycontrol 14 to allow for additional headroom.

Referring to FIG. 7 , the distal end 12 of the visual sonic conduitlocator 10 is shown in accordance with the present disclosure. Adirectional microphone 20 is located at the distal end 12 of the locator10. The microphone 20 is configured to detect signal(s) of the targetsound. A directional microphone 20 is arranged to be more sensitive todetecting sounds received from one or more specific directions thanother directions. The use of a directional microphone 20 is advantageousin that the operator can locate the target sound by pointing themicrophone 20 at different conduits. The directional microphone 20primarily picks up sound coming from the direction the microphone 20 isdirected towards.

In some embodiments, a plurality of directional microphones is locatedat the distal end 12 of the visual sonic conduit locator 10. Theplurality of microphones is configured to detect signal(s) of the targetsound. Each of the plurality of directional microphones can bepositioned in the same direction, different directions, or be configuredto cover different parts of the aural spectrum.

Referring to FIG. 8 , a flow chart showing a method of operating avisual sonic conduit locator (e.g. locator 10 of FIG. 6 ) in accordancewith present disclosure. The method begins at start block 801 andproceeds to block 802 where a conduit size audio filter control of thelocator is configured or adjusted to selectively optimize the search fora target sound from a target conduit size (e.g. inner diameterselection). The step 802 of configuring occurs either manually at block803 or automatically at block 804. Then, at block 805, the sensitivitycontrol 14 is adjusted by a user to alter the sensitivity of a processorof the locator 10 monitoring signals detected by the microphone(s) 20 ofa detected target sound detected and indicating levels of detected soundsignals at the visual indicator 15A-15E. The user proceeds to block 806and lowers the sensitivity control until the target conduit conductingthe target sound is located. According to some embodiments, the step 802of configuring a conduit size audio control may include determining theconduit size and the specific audio frequency, cadence pattern, or otherdistinctive sound property. The step of configuring may also includeidentifying deteriorating effects on the target sound. For example, thedifferent sizes of a target conduit have different deteriorating effectson the target sound. By identifying the different size, thedeteriorating effects on the target sound can then be determined. Theconduit size audio control 13 is configured automatically by identifyingthe deteriorating effects that the size of the target conduit has on thetarget sound based on stored predetermined information (e.g. a table ofdifferent sound deteriorating effects with respect to different conduitsizes).

According to some embodiments, the step 805 of adjusting the sensitivitycontrol 14 to change the degree the target sound is indicated at avisual indicator 15A-15E includes determining whether the visual sonicconduit locator 10 is physically approaching the target sound. Forexample, if a processor of the visual sonic conduit locater 10determines the locator 10 is moving away from the target sound, then theoperator needs to either move the locator 10 closer to the target soundor adjust the sensitivity control 14 to assist in locating the targetsound.

According to some embodiments, the step 806 of lowering the sensitivitycontrol 14 until the target sound and target conduit is located includesdetermining, utilizing visual indicators 15A-15E, the amount of headroomto leave available. For example, if visual indicators 15A-15C areilluminated, then the operator may not lower the sensitivity control 14because there is still headroom available to search for the target soundand target conduit, as visual indicators 15D and 15E are notilluminated. However, if visual indicators 15A-15E are all illuminated,then the operator may lower the sensitivity control 14 to allow for moreheadroom. By lowering the sensitivity control 14, some of the visualindicators 15A-15E deactivate. These visual indicators 15A-15E areconfigured to activate again as the visual sonic conduit locator 10 getsincreasingly close to the target conduit. This process is reiterateduntil the target conduit is located.

Referring to FIG. 9 , a visual sonic conduit locator 10 is shown inaccordance with the present disclosure. The visual sonic conduit locator10 of FIG. 9 substantially corresponds to the visual sonic conduitlocator 10 of FIG. 6 except the visual indicator 76 is in the form of asingle display configured to provide a numerical indication of themagnitude of the sound level or any other desired graphical indicationthat conveys a sense of magnitude within a range. Also, the internalprocessor 17 is shown in phantom lines with control lines to the audiofilter control 13, and sensitivity control 14, display 76 and microphone20.

While the present disclosure has been illustrated and described withrespect to particular embodiments thereof, it should be appreciated bythose of ordinary skill in the art that various modifications to thisdisclosure may be made without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe present disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A visual sonic conduit locator comprising: abody; a microphone connected to the body; one or more visual indicatorsconnected to the body; a processor operatively connected to the one ormore visual indicators and configured to cause the one or more visualindicators to display a magnitude of sound level relative within avariably adjustable full-scale range based on a sound signal detected bythe microphone; and a sensitivity control configured to cause theprocessor to adjust the full-scale range thereby setting the processorto more sensitively or less sensitively cause the one or more visualindicators to display the magnitude of sound level based on the soundsignal detected by the microphone.
 2. The visual sonic conduit locatoraccording to claim 1, wherein the microphone is arranged at a distal endof the body.
 3. The visual sonic conduit locator according to claim 1,wherein the microphone is a directional microphone.
 4. The visual sonicconduit locator according to claim 1, further comprising an audio filtercontrol configured to set the processor to identify a sound signal orsound deteriorating effect predetermined as corresponding to a soundsignal conducted within a conduit of a particular size.
 5. The visualsonic conduit locator according to claim 4, wherein the audio filtercontrol is configured to be manually adjusted by a user for setting theparticular size.
 6. The visual sonic conduit locator according to claim4, wherein the processor is configured to automatically adjust the audiofilter control based on the sound signal detected.
 7. The visual sonicconduit locator according to claim 6, wherein the processor isconfigured to identify deteriorating effects of the sound signaldetected by the microphone for automatically adjusting the audio filtercontrol.
 8. The visual sonic conduit locator according to claim 1,wherein the sensitivity control is configured to adjust the full-scalerange based on a level of headroom available.
 9. The visual sonicconduit locator according to claim 1, wherein the one or more visualindicators comprises a digital numerical scale.
 10. The visual sonicconduit locator according to claim 1, wherein the one or more visualindicators comprises a plurality of LEDs.
 11. The visual sonic conduitlocator according to claim 10, wherein the plurality of LEDs arelinearly arranged and the processor is configured to cause the pluralityof LEDs to sequentially illuminate based on the magnitude of sound leveldetermined to be indicated relative to the full-scale range.
 12. Thevisual sonic conduit locator according to claim 1, wherein the one ormore visual indicators comprise a lighting fixture.
 13. The visual sonicconduit locator according to claim 12, wherein the processor isconfigured to cause the lighting fixture to increase in brightnessand/or change color when the magnitude of sound level increases.
 14. Amethod of operating a visual sonic conduit locator comprising: moving avisual sonic conduit locator in an area where a sound signal is providedfrom a sonic conduit tracer system through a target conduit among aplurality of conduits; detecting the sound signal with a microphone ofthe visual sonic conduit locator; displaying a magnitude of sound levelof the detected sound signal with one or more visual indicators of thevisual sonic conduit locator; and adjusting a sensitivity control tocause a processor of the visual sonic conduit locator to adjust afull-scale range.
 15. The method according to claim 14, wherein theadjusting the sensitivity control of the visual sonic conduit locator isperformed after the visual sonic conduit locator is moved closer to thetarget conduit.
 16. The method according to claim 14, wherein themicrophone is a directional microphone.
 17. The method according toclaim 14, wherein the adjusting the sensitivity control of the visualsonic conduit locator comprises setting the processor to lesssensitively cause the one or more visual indicators to display themagnitude of sound level of the detected sound signal.
 18. The methodaccording to claim 14, wherein the adjusting the sensitivity control ofthe visual sonic conduit locator comprises determining an amount ofheadroom available.
 19. A visual sonic conduit locator comprising: abody; a microphone connected to the body; a display connected to thebody and configured to display a magnitude of sound level based on asound signal detected by the microphone; and a sensitivity controlconfigured to adjust a range the magnitude of sound level is displayedwithin through the display.
 20. The visual sonic conduit locatoraccording to claim 19, wherein the display is configured to indicate anumerical indication of the magnitude of sound level.